


Wishes for a Better Future

by hogwartsahoy



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst, Brothers, Comfort, Gen, M/M, Staircase Ballet, heart to heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:15:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21752074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hogwartsahoy/pseuds/hogwartsahoy
Summary: Albus can't talk to Scorpius. He doesn't know what to say. He can barely even talk to James. Until one day, he does.Set in the first AU, post Staircase Ballet.
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter & James Sirius Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Wishes for a Better Future

**Author's Note:**

> An idea I had earlier today sprung into this! It takes place after Staircase Ballet and before the Library Scene. Enjoy! I think we all need some James and Albus brotherly moments in our lives.
> 
> Twitter: @hogwartsahoy

There was a book open on Albus’ lap, but when James walked into the Gryffindor common room and saw him sat on the couch, staring into the roaring fire, the book seemed to be pretty much forgotten. James had a feeling, as he sat down next to his younger brother, that he’d forgotten about any and all responsibilities, and really, he couldn’t blame him.

He’d even gone to their father and tried to convince him that Albus’ friendship with Scorpius Malfoy wasn’t one born out of manipulation or dark magic. That it was the only thing that made sense to Albus – the only thing that truly made Albus happy. But that didn’t matter. His father was adamant he was right and there was no convincing him that he was anything else.

And over the weeks since that had happened, over the weeks that their father had restricted Albus and Scorpius to nothing more than passing glances in the corridors and on the staircases, something had changed inside of Albus. James saw it every single day, and he missed the boy his brother had been before. His comfort as his older brother could really only go so far. And he knew exactly what Albus needed, except it was the one thing he couldn’t have.

He was happy to sit in silence with Albus on the couch for as long as he wanted. They did that a lot these days, just sat in silence. James didn’t want to push him to talk, and Albus didn’t seem to have an awful lot to say. But then Albus spoke. His voice was quiet, broken and sounded so unlike the brother he’d known his whole life. James had to prepare himself before he even replied out of fear of breaking too.

“He smiled at me on the staircase today.”

“And what did you do?”

Albus turned to look at his brother and then shrugged. “What _could_ I do, James? I just… I just walked away. McGonagall is watching us every second of every day. If I even stalled for a second to talk to him…” He rubbed his face with his hands. “No.”

He hated this. James hated this. And he wished he had better words of wisdom to offer, though he wasn’t good at this stuff. He hadn’t grown up having as many difficulties with their father as Albus had, but he hadn’t had a friendship as strong as Albus and Scorpius had either. He was experienced in many areas of life… but this, it wasn’t one of them, and it left him clueless and mad at himself.

James slumped down a little. “This– this friendship you have with Scorpius… I envy it, you know?” He glanced over at his brother and noticed the look of shock on his face.

“How can you envy it? You have everything.”

He shook his head and gave a small laugh. “Oh, I don’t. I have _some_ things. But I don’t have everything. I have friends. But I don’t have a _Scorpius._ And you do, Albus. You do.”

Albus snorted. “ _Did._ ”

“No,” James sat up a little straighter. “No, you still have him. You still have him, Albus. He smiles at you when you pass in the corridors and on the staircases. He _smiles_ at you, Albus. And weren’t you saying just the other day that he looked like he was going to say something to you? That doesn’t sound like a friendship that’s in the past. That sounds, to me, like a friendship itching to be the present _and_ the future. He smiles at you, and you notice, and it tears you up inside. You still have him.”

He wasn’t sure where the words had come from. All he knew was that he needed to say them – that Albus needed to hear them. That he needed that reminder from _someone._ Because nobody else was going to give it to him. Scorpius couldn’t find the words, and Albus was too afraid to say them. And even if his words did nothing, he, at least, ensured Albus heard them. That he knew.

James leant over and rested his head on Albus’ shoulder and instinctively, Albus let his head rest down on James’. The common room was empty, but even if it was bustling with students the two boys wouldn’t have minded.

“I don’t know what to say to him, James. I look at him, and he looks at me, and I want to say something, but I don’t know _what._ And it’s like there are a million words swimming through my mind every time I look at him, but I can’t bring myself to say anything. And it reminds me of what dad said… that he’d fix me with a spell so he could hear every word I say, every conversation I ever have and I don’t want to risk that, James. I _can’t_ risk that.”

“You really think he’d go that far?”

Albus sighed. “I wish he wouldn’t. But I think he would. And I’d rather live a lifetime of having to just see Scorpius in corridors without being able to say anything than risk a lifetime without any privacy at all and the chance of never even _seeing_ him again. That’s too big a risk.”

James understood. He understood perfectly. He hated that his fourteen year old brother was being forced to make a decision so… so _life-changing._ But he knew why. And he wasn’t one to disagree with Albus when he’d so clearly made a decision.

So he nodded. “So you’ll leave it.”

Albus hummed. “So I’ll leave it.”

“I really wish you wouldn’t.”

“I really wish I didn’t have to.”


End file.
